My Quicken program has a little icon I can click for my net worth. It tells me exactly how much the Sauer family is worth. It’s been decreasing as of late. We are not alone.
Fear seems to be a prominent part of our culture today because of the implosion of the financial sector. The Dow fell. The Dow rose. The Dow started good and then the bottom dropped out. People have lost trillions of dollars out of their net worth. Trying times, to say the least.
What have you been thinking about all of this? Are you feeling fear, too? Anxiety? Depression?
For some, it means holding off on their retirement and staying in the work force longer than planned.. For others, it means cutting back on spending. For some, it means finding another job. For some, it means losing their job.
And for many of us, it means finding someone to blame. And there are plenty of possible suspects.
One primary suspect is greed. From the have's to the have-nots, greed has reared its ugly head. Now we have a big mess. Should we be surprised?
“Put to death therefore whatever in you is earthly – fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. One account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you once followed when you were living that life, but now you must get rid of such things . . .” Colossians 3:5-8a
Gandhi said, “There is enough for everyone’s need but there is not enough to meet everyone’s greed.”
Greed is defined as a reprehensible desire to acquire. A common synonym is avarice. The Bible calls greed a sin – from the old self – an idol.
Paul said to Timothy, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (I Timothy 6:10)
Randy Alcorn in his book Money, Possessions, and Eternity, has this to say about greed,
Jesus Christ sounded a sober warning against materialism in any form and in any age: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Greed isn’t a harmless pastime but a serious offense against God. As one who lusts is an adulterer (Matthew 5:28) and one who hates is a murderer (1 John 3:15), so one who is greedy is an idolater (Colossians 3:5). Greed is money worship, a violation of the first and most fundamental commandment: “I am the Lord your God . . . You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3). The eight commandment is a prohibition against stealing (Exodus 20:15), another product of greed, and the tenth commandment is a warning against covetousness (Exodus 20:17). Remarkably, the ten great laws of God, written in stone, contain three prohibitions against materialism. (p. 34)
God is in the business of getting our attention. He has shown throughout human history a relentless willingness to do whatever it takes to get our focus back on Him. Too often, we find security in the things of this world. Our security cannot be found there. Maybe God is trying to get our attention. Maybe God is reminding us that He is our greatest treasure. Do you trust Him more than the number you see when you tally your financial net worth? See Matthew 6:25-34.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Ask and You Will Receive
Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matthew 7:7-11
This was the text of the sermon I heard this past Sunday in Princeton, MN. It sounds too good to be true. I’ve always wrestled with this text and the numerous places where the Bible in essence says, “Look, all you have to do is ask and I (God) will give you whatever you ask for.” There is something very attractive about this, but also something just doesn’t seem right. Plus, many of us have experienced this text not holding true. We’ve asked; God has denied our request. We’ve asked for healings for our friends, another child, the sale of our house, etc., but what we’ve seen so far is silence . . . or so it seems.
The insecure pastor in me wants to show you I can explain this text. I want to prove to you there is a logical explanation for God’s behavior and for how we should interpret these words of Jesus. I’ll start there but I also want to address the emotional part of this challenge as well.
I am finding myself to be less than reliable. I am more and more aware of my inability to “handle” life. I am becoming increasingly aware of my shortcomings and less confident of myself. That’s breeding within me an increased sense of insecurity which at rare times is reflected in humility. (That’s good but very rare.) I just don’t feel as sure of myself as I used to. I am not so fond of this feeling, but nevertheless, I believe it is one of the places where God’s at work. How does this paragraph explain the text in Matthew, you may be wondering by now?
Here goes. I just don’t trust my prayers much. I don’t think I really know what to pray for as confidently as I did before. My default in prayer is me. I pray for what I want. I pray for what I think I need. I come before God most often with a request for my will to be done. I think it is a good will. It is usually for the benefit of others and me. BUT, I am becoming aware that my default prayers tend to be exceedingly selfish. I ask for what I want. But isn’t this what Jesus tells us to do? It seems like it, but something inside of me tells me otherwise. Thankfully, it is not only the inside of me that struggles. I believe the Bible confirms my wrestlings.
I don’t believe you can interpret this text appropriately without looking at the whole of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). This text comes near the conclusion of this collection of sermons. But to see this text clearly is to see it through the lens of Matthew 6:5-15. “Pray in secret.” (6:6) “Don’t heap up empty phrases.” (6:7) Pray this way, Jesus says. “Hallowed be your name.” “Your Kingdom come.” “Your will be done.” (6:9-11)
What I ought to want is God’s will to be done and God’s Kingdom to come. What I ought to pray for is just that.
Emotionally, that is just downright hard. We WANT good things to be done for others. We want cancers to be cured, slaves to be set free, wars to end and peace to reign. We want the lost to be found and the loneliness to end. We ought to always pray for these things. But they must all be requests we make embracing the truth that more than anything else, we hope and pray that God’s will is done. So cancers may take lives. Wars may continue. Slaves may remain slaves and the lost may remain lost . . . for a time.
Because we believe in God’s perfect will. We believe He knows what is best and will work it out in the end. We trust Him more than we trust our senses, our desires, our emotions. We trust Him.
For He has promised that in the end (or maybe the new beginning) there will be no cancers, no slaves, no wars, no lost, no loneliness for those with Him. That WILL come to pass because it is His WILL.
This was the text of the sermon I heard this past Sunday in Princeton, MN. It sounds too good to be true. I’ve always wrestled with this text and the numerous places where the Bible in essence says, “Look, all you have to do is ask and I (God) will give you whatever you ask for.” There is something very attractive about this, but also something just doesn’t seem right. Plus, many of us have experienced this text not holding true. We’ve asked; God has denied our request. We’ve asked for healings for our friends, another child, the sale of our house, etc., but what we’ve seen so far is silence . . . or so it seems.
The insecure pastor in me wants to show you I can explain this text. I want to prove to you there is a logical explanation for God’s behavior and for how we should interpret these words of Jesus. I’ll start there but I also want to address the emotional part of this challenge as well.
I am finding myself to be less than reliable. I am more and more aware of my inability to “handle” life. I am becoming increasingly aware of my shortcomings and less confident of myself. That’s breeding within me an increased sense of insecurity which at rare times is reflected in humility. (That’s good but very rare.) I just don’t feel as sure of myself as I used to. I am not so fond of this feeling, but nevertheless, I believe it is one of the places where God’s at work. How does this paragraph explain the text in Matthew, you may be wondering by now?
Here goes. I just don’t trust my prayers much. I don’t think I really know what to pray for as confidently as I did before. My default in prayer is me. I pray for what I want. I pray for what I think I need. I come before God most often with a request for my will to be done. I think it is a good will. It is usually for the benefit of others and me. BUT, I am becoming aware that my default prayers tend to be exceedingly selfish. I ask for what I want. But isn’t this what Jesus tells us to do? It seems like it, but something inside of me tells me otherwise. Thankfully, it is not only the inside of me that struggles. I believe the Bible confirms my wrestlings.
I don’t believe you can interpret this text appropriately without looking at the whole of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). This text comes near the conclusion of this collection of sermons. But to see this text clearly is to see it through the lens of Matthew 6:5-15. “Pray in secret.” (6:6) “Don’t heap up empty phrases.” (6:7) Pray this way, Jesus says. “Hallowed be your name.” “Your Kingdom come.” “Your will be done.” (6:9-11)
What I ought to want is God’s will to be done and God’s Kingdom to come. What I ought to pray for is just that.
Emotionally, that is just downright hard. We WANT good things to be done for others. We want cancers to be cured, slaves to be set free, wars to end and peace to reign. We want the lost to be found and the loneliness to end. We ought to always pray for these things. But they must all be requests we make embracing the truth that more than anything else, we hope and pray that God’s will is done. So cancers may take lives. Wars may continue. Slaves may remain slaves and the lost may remain lost . . . for a time.
Because we believe in God’s perfect will. We believe He knows what is best and will work it out in the end. We trust Him more than we trust our senses, our desires, our emotions. We trust Him.
For He has promised that in the end (or maybe the new beginning) there will be no cancers, no slaves, no wars, no lost, no loneliness for those with Him. That WILL come to pass because it is His WILL.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Holy Wild - Buchanan
Here are a few excerpts from Mark Buchanan’s book, The Holy Wild: Trusting in the Character of God. He starts by explaining his goals for the book. If you are interested in deepening your understanding of the character of God, this would be a great help.
I will have failed if God is named but not praised, analyzed but not glorified, seen but not sought. I will have failed if we know better the character of God but are no more inclined than before to rest in Him. And if we don’t rest in Him, we’ll never risk for Him. (30)
There are actually only three things God promises with a guarantee. In these three things, God is always true to Himself. These three things are the bedrock of His faithfulness. They are utterly trustworthy things that God promises on the basis of His own character. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. These three things are the aspects of God’s faithfulness in which, no matter what else goes amiss, we can rest completely.
Three things.
God is faithful to forgive our sins if we confess them: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
God is faithful to make us holy and blameless before Christ: “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May the whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (I Thessalonians 5:23-24) No one who trusts in Him will be found wanting on the day of judgment.
And God is faithful to get us home.
(70)
I will have failed if God is named but not praised, analyzed but not glorified, seen but not sought. I will have failed if we know better the character of God but are no more inclined than before to rest in Him. And if we don’t rest in Him, we’ll never risk for Him. (30)
There are actually only three things God promises with a guarantee. In these three things, God is always true to Himself. These three things are the bedrock of His faithfulness. They are utterly trustworthy things that God promises on the basis of His own character. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. These three things are the aspects of God’s faithfulness in which, no matter what else goes amiss, we can rest completely.
Three things.
God is faithful to forgive our sins if we confess them: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
God is faithful to make us holy and blameless before Christ: “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May the whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (I Thessalonians 5:23-24) No one who trusts in Him will be found wanting on the day of judgment.
And God is faithful to get us home.
(70)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Leading the Charge - Cameron Strang
I found this article written by Cameron Strang, editor of Relevant Magazine. The following link will take you there. The title is Leading the Charge and is an outstanding article on making sure we not only talk the talk this election year, but also walk the walk. Enjoy.
I'd encourage you to consider a subscription to Relevant. It has been a very helpful magazine to me.
I'd encourage you to consider a subscription to Relevant. It has been a very helpful magazine to me.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Surrender to Love - Benner
I continue to be blessed by David Benner’s writings. He really challenges the “I can do it myself” mentality which is prevalent even within the church. The need to surrender is foundational to being His and following Him. I am learning and growing and definitely need all sorts of help in this foundational aspect of following Jesus Christ. So you’ll have to come along as I share where Benner is challenging and encouraging me. The following are excerpts from David G. Benner’s book, Surrender to Love (IVP Press, 2003).
. . . surrender plays a crucial role in the spiritual journey as understood by most major religions and spiritual traditions. Far from being a sign of weakness, only surrender to something or someone bigger than us is sufficiently strong to free us from the prison of our egocentricity. Only surrender is powerful enough to overcome our isolation and alienation. (10)
Like loving parents who can look at their children with disappointment that in no way dilutes their love, the God in whose image such parents are made loves us with a love that is not dependent on our behavior. (17)
Created from love and for love, humans – according to the Christian account of things – spurned God’s love in favor of what was perceived to be freedom. The result, of course, was disastrous. Liberty was instantly replaced by bondage, intimacy by alienation. Genuine love was reduced to self-love, and the result was egocentricity and estrangement from our deepest self, God and others. (23)
The story of Jesus is the story of love personified. We miss the point when we simply try to do what he tells us to do. And we miss the point when we merely try to follow the pattern of his life. His life points us back to his own Source. His life is intelligible only when it is understood as the personification of divine love.
But genuinely encountering Love is not the same as inviting Jesus into your heart, joining or attending a church, or doing what Jesus commands. It is the experience of love that is transformational. You simply cannot bask in divine love and not be affected. (25-26)
A.W. Tozer notes that most of us who call ourselves Christians do so on the basis of belief more than experience. We have, he argues, “substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of religious notions but our great weakness is that for our hearts there is no one there.”
Any authentic spiritual journey must grow from direct, personal experience of God. (27)
If God is love, he cannot truly be known apart from love. He cannot, therefore, be known objectively. One cannot observe him from a distance and know him. To do so is to fail to genuinely encounter his love. One can encounter divine love only up close and personally. (28)
The Christian God wants the intimacy of our friendship, not our fear. The Christian God comes to us with gestures of breathtaking love, hoping to eliminate our fear, not manipulate us through it. And he offers his love as the one thing in the universe capable of making an otherwise hostile cosmos into a friendly home. He offers his love as the one thing in the universe capable of freeing us from our fears. (37)
The God Christians worship loves sinners, redeems failures, delights in second chances and fresh starts, and never tires of pursuing lost sheep, waiting for prodigal children, or rescuing those damaged by life and left on the sides of its paths.
The Christian God of grace stands in stark contrast to the vindictive, whimsical, threatening and often capricious (unpredictable) gods of other religions. Only the Lord God unconditionally cherishes human beings. Only the Lord God forgives all our offenses and teaches us how to forgive ourselves. Only the Lord God provides everything he demands. Only the Lord God offers the life of his own Son for the salvation of his people. The Lord God’s persistent habit of relating to humans with grace is the best news the human race has ever received.
What makes grace amazing is that it and it alone can free us from our fears and make us truly whole and free. Surrender to God’s love offers us the possibility of freedom from guilt, freedom from effort to earn God’s approval, and freedom to genuinely love God and others as the Father loves us. (45-46)
Grace is totally alien to human psychology. We want to get our house in order and then let God love and accept us. The psychology of works-righteousness and self-certification is foundational to the human psyche and totally at odds with grace. (46)
A familiar Christian hymn states that as I come to God, “nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” How deeply I resent this fact. How desperately I want to be able to contribute something to the deal – my faith, my effort, my love, my belief. But the bottom line is that Perfect Love meets me where I am and asks only that I open my heart and receive the love for which I long. (46)
Surrender and Obedience
Those who surrender obey. But not all who obey surrender. It is quite easy to obey God for the wrong reasons. What God desires is submission of our heart and will, not simply compliance in our behavior.
“Trust and obey” sums up the understanding of the Christian life of people who focus on obedience as an act of the will rather than a surrender of heart. It suggests that all we have to do is believe certain things about God and then get on with doing what God asks. While obedience may be demanding, we are tempted to think that it is achievable if we put our mind to it and are prepared for lots of hard work.
There are two problems with this. The first is that doing what God asks is, of course, not something we can ever achieve in ourselves. Not only did God never mean us to do so, he intended that our failures in obedience lead us to surrender. Rather than drive us to ever-increasing efforts to get it right ourselves, God wants our sin to make us aware of our need for him. . .
The second problem in simply trying to do what God asks is that it leaves the kingdom of self intact. I remain in control, and my willful ways of running my life remain unchallenged. The whole point of the kingdom of God is to overturn the kingdom of self. These are two rival spiritual kingdoms. We need to be very suspicious when self-control and egocentricity are left unchallenged in our Christ-following. (55-56)
Relying on the will to make things happen keeps us focused on the self. Life lived with resolve and determination is life lived apart from surrender. It is living with clenched-fisted doggedness. It is living the illusion that I can be in control. It is the rule of life lived in the kingdom of self. (58)
If the core of Christian obedience is listening to God’s will, the core of surrender is voluntarily giving up our will. Only love can induce us to do this. (59)
. . . surrender plays a crucial role in the spiritual journey as understood by most major religions and spiritual traditions. Far from being a sign of weakness, only surrender to something or someone bigger than us is sufficiently strong to free us from the prison of our egocentricity. Only surrender is powerful enough to overcome our isolation and alienation. (10)
Like loving parents who can look at their children with disappointment that in no way dilutes their love, the God in whose image such parents are made loves us with a love that is not dependent on our behavior. (17)
Created from love and for love, humans – according to the Christian account of things – spurned God’s love in favor of what was perceived to be freedom. The result, of course, was disastrous. Liberty was instantly replaced by bondage, intimacy by alienation. Genuine love was reduced to self-love, and the result was egocentricity and estrangement from our deepest self, God and others. (23)
The story of Jesus is the story of love personified. We miss the point when we simply try to do what he tells us to do. And we miss the point when we merely try to follow the pattern of his life. His life points us back to his own Source. His life is intelligible only when it is understood as the personification of divine love.
But genuinely encountering Love is not the same as inviting Jesus into your heart, joining or attending a church, or doing what Jesus commands. It is the experience of love that is transformational. You simply cannot bask in divine love and not be affected. (25-26)
A.W. Tozer notes that most of us who call ourselves Christians do so on the basis of belief more than experience. We have, he argues, “substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of religious notions but our great weakness is that for our hearts there is no one there.”
Any authentic spiritual journey must grow from direct, personal experience of God. (27)
If God is love, he cannot truly be known apart from love. He cannot, therefore, be known objectively. One cannot observe him from a distance and know him. To do so is to fail to genuinely encounter his love. One can encounter divine love only up close and personally. (28)
The Christian God wants the intimacy of our friendship, not our fear. The Christian God comes to us with gestures of breathtaking love, hoping to eliminate our fear, not manipulate us through it. And he offers his love as the one thing in the universe capable of making an otherwise hostile cosmos into a friendly home. He offers his love as the one thing in the universe capable of freeing us from our fears. (37)
The God Christians worship loves sinners, redeems failures, delights in second chances and fresh starts, and never tires of pursuing lost sheep, waiting for prodigal children, or rescuing those damaged by life and left on the sides of its paths.
The Christian God of grace stands in stark contrast to the vindictive, whimsical, threatening and often capricious (unpredictable) gods of other religions. Only the Lord God unconditionally cherishes human beings. Only the Lord God forgives all our offenses and teaches us how to forgive ourselves. Only the Lord God provides everything he demands. Only the Lord God offers the life of his own Son for the salvation of his people. The Lord God’s persistent habit of relating to humans with grace is the best news the human race has ever received.
What makes grace amazing is that it and it alone can free us from our fears and make us truly whole and free. Surrender to God’s love offers us the possibility of freedom from guilt, freedom from effort to earn God’s approval, and freedom to genuinely love God and others as the Father loves us. (45-46)
Grace is totally alien to human psychology. We want to get our house in order and then let God love and accept us. The psychology of works-righteousness and self-certification is foundational to the human psyche and totally at odds with grace. (46)
A familiar Christian hymn states that as I come to God, “nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” How deeply I resent this fact. How desperately I want to be able to contribute something to the deal – my faith, my effort, my love, my belief. But the bottom line is that Perfect Love meets me where I am and asks only that I open my heart and receive the love for which I long. (46)
Surrender and Obedience
Those who surrender obey. But not all who obey surrender. It is quite easy to obey God for the wrong reasons. What God desires is submission of our heart and will, not simply compliance in our behavior.
“Trust and obey” sums up the understanding of the Christian life of people who focus on obedience as an act of the will rather than a surrender of heart. It suggests that all we have to do is believe certain things about God and then get on with doing what God asks. While obedience may be demanding, we are tempted to think that it is achievable if we put our mind to it and are prepared for lots of hard work.
There are two problems with this. The first is that doing what God asks is, of course, not something we can ever achieve in ourselves. Not only did God never mean us to do so, he intended that our failures in obedience lead us to surrender. Rather than drive us to ever-increasing efforts to get it right ourselves, God wants our sin to make us aware of our need for him. . .
The second problem in simply trying to do what God asks is that it leaves the kingdom of self intact. I remain in control, and my willful ways of running my life remain unchallenged. The whole point of the kingdom of God is to overturn the kingdom of self. These are two rival spiritual kingdoms. We need to be very suspicious when self-control and egocentricity are left unchallenged in our Christ-following. (55-56)
Relying on the will to make things happen keeps us focused on the self. Life lived with resolve and determination is life lived apart from surrender. It is living with clenched-fisted doggedness. It is living the illusion that I can be in control. It is the rule of life lived in the kingdom of self. (58)
If the core of Christian obedience is listening to God’s will, the core of surrender is voluntarily giving up our will. Only love can induce us to do this. (59)
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
John turned 5
Five year olds like having birthdays - almost forty year olds . . . not so much. I loved celebrating his birthday; it’s my own that isn’t so exciting.
Have you heard the phrase “perma-grin”, which is short for having a permanent grin on your face? It is what you see during hunting season or when someone is newly in love. Perma-grin.
John experienced perma-grin for almost a week. It included the days leading up to his birthday and the day after when we actually had his birthday party. It is also what his father experienced listening to John and his two friends talk during our mini-van ride to Petoskey for mini-golf. Listening to them talk to each other was hilarious. I am amazed at the brazen confidence of four and five year olds. They know a lot – not much of it all that accurate – but accuracy is not required when you are confident.
John knows how to celebrate his birthday. First, he tells everyone. He made sure everyone knew it was his birthday. Now the fact that he wore his “birthday hat” from school the entire day was also a clue that this child was celebrating a special day. He felt it was his right to wear this hat with pride. We encouraged him to consider not wearing it into Applebee’s for his birthday dinner, but he felt differently.
There is something strangely refreshing about his desire for everyone to know it is his birthday. It was a special day for him and he had no trouble acknowledging that, at least for a day or two, he was special and it was OK to draw attention to himself. It wasn’t an egotistical, arrogant, “I’m better than you” expectation; it was the fact it is his birthday – a special and important day for him.
He loved the attention. He loved the fact that it was his special day. The look on his face while we sang “Happy Birthday” to him was priceless. Had we allowed the Applebee’s staff to sing to him when he received his birthday dessert, he would have loved that, too. His parents trumped that one, however. We’d heard them sing already and they lacked some enthusiasm.
I believe God would like us to have more of this type of experience in our relationship with Him. He desires us to experience His attention. He desires us to know that we are special to Him – all the time. We need that attention. We often seek it in other places and find it. But it isn’t the same, because it’s often selfish and therefore false. We draw attention to ourselves by our efforts, behaviors, purchases. But if we find our meaning in our efforts, behaviors or purchases, we will not find what we are looking for. It will be shallow and fleeting.
Have you heard the phrase “perma-grin”, which is short for having a permanent grin on your face? It is what you see during hunting season or when someone is newly in love. Perma-grin.
John experienced perma-grin for almost a week. It included the days leading up to his birthday and the day after when we actually had his birthday party. It is also what his father experienced listening to John and his two friends talk during our mini-van ride to Petoskey for mini-golf. Listening to them talk to each other was hilarious. I am amazed at the brazen confidence of four and five year olds. They know a lot – not much of it all that accurate – but accuracy is not required when you are confident.
John knows how to celebrate his birthday. First, he tells everyone. He made sure everyone knew it was his birthday. Now the fact that he wore his “birthday hat” from school the entire day was also a clue that this child was celebrating a special day. He felt it was his right to wear this hat with pride. We encouraged him to consider not wearing it into Applebee’s for his birthday dinner, but he felt differently.
There is something strangely refreshing about his desire for everyone to know it is his birthday. It was a special day for him and he had no trouble acknowledging that, at least for a day or two, he was special and it was OK to draw attention to himself. It wasn’t an egotistical, arrogant, “I’m better than you” expectation; it was the fact it is his birthday – a special and important day for him.
He loved the attention. He loved the fact that it was his special day. The look on his face while we sang “Happy Birthday” to him was priceless. Had we allowed the Applebee’s staff to sing to him when he received his birthday dessert, he would have loved that, too. His parents trumped that one, however. We’d heard them sing already and they lacked some enthusiasm.
I believe God would like us to have more of this type of experience in our relationship with Him. He desires us to experience His attention. He desires us to know that we are special to Him – all the time. We need that attention. We often seek it in other places and find it. But it isn’t the same, because it’s often selfish and therefore false. We draw attention to ourselves by our efforts, behaviors, purchases. But if we find our meaning in our efforts, behaviors or purchases, we will not find what we are looking for. It will be shallow and fleeting.
Can't We All Just Get Along?
I think Rodney King coined the phrase. It is a legitimate question, especially as it pertains to fellow followers of Jesus Christ.
I went on one of those internet odysseys the other day. I was searching for information about Dr. Paul Eshleman, our speaker today, and I found myself entering into some very frustrating material – having nothing to do with Dr. Eshleman, except it began with a very critical review of the JESUS film.
Having some idea of the overwhelmingly positive impact the JESUS film has had on reaching many people for Christ, I was surprised to find this review, so I dug deeper. I was sad that I did.
I am choosing intentionally not to name names. Much of the information I found did name names. I found a number of websites which claimed to have the inside track on Christianity, but did so by calling all sorts of other evangelical Christians (many of whom are familiar names to us all) heretics – even questioning whether or not these “so called” Christians will make it to heaven.
I was initially furious and tempted to email the authors of these web sites and challenge them on their poor behavior. But then I started to get sad – really sad. I was reminded about the behavior of some who call themselves Christians and how detrimental it is to what we exist for. We don’t exist to fight with each other. Our purpose is not to question, critique, judge, and even condemn each other. Our purpose is love.
Now what I’ve just said is a dangerous thing to say, because it leaves room for some very unhealthy and unbiblical behavior. We don’t just accept anyone and everyone’s teaching on the Bible and their behaviors (those who call themselves Christians). There is a huge difference between love and acceptance. There is truth and there is untruth. There are true prophets and there are false prophets. We have to use a discerning mind and often the counsel of others (especially Scripture) as we seek to discern truth from untruth.
But our purpose is not to focus our attention on each other. Our purpose is to focus our attention on loving the people of this world as we live in God’s love. I am amazed at how much time and energy is devoted by those who claim to follow Jesus Christ on arguing about why they're right and others are wrong – even heretical – even evil. I was tempted to jump into the conversation. It could easily take hours crafting a letter, responding to replies, and allowing all sorts of emotional energy to be devoted at arguing with someone who claims to be a Christian.
Granted, there are times when God makes this an important part of our calling to love one another enough to rebuke, admonish and provoke, but if it takes us away from our true calling, then the people who truly suffer are the many who have not yet heard and are not yet experiencing the freedom that comes with knowing Christ.
We Christians have to learn to check our egos at the door and stop being so devoted to being right. Let’s be His. Let’s listen to what He says. But let’s do so with humility, grace, and kindness. Let’s allow the fruits of the Spirit to be reflected in our interactions with one another. Let’s cling to truth, but may that truth be Him and not some ego-driven, self-centered, anger-based need to be right by proving others wrong. That is not love. Love doesn’t mean agreement and acceptance, but it does mean patience, humility, and kindness.
We can and should “get along” because Christ is the center and He longs for His Church to be one – united in Him.
I went on one of those internet odysseys the other day. I was searching for information about Dr. Paul Eshleman, our speaker today, and I found myself entering into some very frustrating material – having nothing to do with Dr. Eshleman, except it began with a very critical review of the JESUS film.
Having some idea of the overwhelmingly positive impact the JESUS film has had on reaching many people for Christ, I was surprised to find this review, so I dug deeper. I was sad that I did.
I am choosing intentionally not to name names. Much of the information I found did name names. I found a number of websites which claimed to have the inside track on Christianity, but did so by calling all sorts of other evangelical Christians (many of whom are familiar names to us all) heretics – even questioning whether or not these “so called” Christians will make it to heaven.
I was initially furious and tempted to email the authors of these web sites and challenge them on their poor behavior. But then I started to get sad – really sad. I was reminded about the behavior of some who call themselves Christians and how detrimental it is to what we exist for. We don’t exist to fight with each other. Our purpose is not to question, critique, judge, and even condemn each other. Our purpose is love.
Now what I’ve just said is a dangerous thing to say, because it leaves room for some very unhealthy and unbiblical behavior. We don’t just accept anyone and everyone’s teaching on the Bible and their behaviors (those who call themselves Christians). There is a huge difference between love and acceptance. There is truth and there is untruth. There are true prophets and there are false prophets. We have to use a discerning mind and often the counsel of others (especially Scripture) as we seek to discern truth from untruth.
But our purpose is not to focus our attention on each other. Our purpose is to focus our attention on loving the people of this world as we live in God’s love. I am amazed at how much time and energy is devoted by those who claim to follow Jesus Christ on arguing about why they're right and others are wrong – even heretical – even evil. I was tempted to jump into the conversation. It could easily take hours crafting a letter, responding to replies, and allowing all sorts of emotional energy to be devoted at arguing with someone who claims to be a Christian.
Granted, there are times when God makes this an important part of our calling to love one another enough to rebuke, admonish and provoke, but if it takes us away from our true calling, then the people who truly suffer are the many who have not yet heard and are not yet experiencing the freedom that comes with knowing Christ.
We Christians have to learn to check our egos at the door and stop being so devoted to being right. Let’s be His. Let’s listen to what He says. But let’s do so with humility, grace, and kindness. Let’s allow the fruits of the Spirit to be reflected in our interactions with one another. Let’s cling to truth, but may that truth be Him and not some ego-driven, self-centered, anger-based need to be right by proving others wrong. That is not love. Love doesn’t mean agreement and acceptance, but it does mean patience, humility, and kindness.
We can and should “get along” because Christ is the center and He longs for His Church to be one – united in Him.
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